How to Drill Holes for a Deadbolt Lock in a Door

Draw a horizontal pencil line on the inside surface of the door 6 to 12 inches above the doorknob. This will be the center line of the hole you will be drilling for the deadbolt.

Measure the amount of offset of your deadbolt latch from the faceplate to the center of the hole at the opposite end of the latch.

Slide the tabs on a door lock installation jig to the setting that matches the offset on the deadbolt that you will be installing. Slide the jig over the edge of the door and line up the marks on the jig with the horizontal line on the door. Make a pencil mark on the edge of the door through the two mounting holes on the jig. Remove the jig for now.

Drill a 1/4-inch deep pilot hole on each pencil mark on the edge of the door with a 1/8-inch drill bit installed in a power drill. Slide the jig back over the door in the proper alignment as previously. Drive the two screws that came with the jig through the mounting holes and tighten them with a Phillips head screwdriver.

Install a 2 1/8-inch hole saw into a power drill. Use the jig as a guide and drill halfway through the face of the door. Move the saw to the opposite side of the door and use the jig to drill through the other half of the door.

Remove the 2 1/8-inch hole saw from the drill. Install a 1-inch hole saw into the drill. Drill through the edge of the door, using the smaller hole in the jig as a guide. Continue drilling through to the larger hole you drilled previously.

Remove the screws from the jig. Slide the jig off of the door.